Aviation Specials - July 2018

Right top to

bottom: The

CH-53E can

carry 30 troops

as standard,

but this can be

increased

if necessary.

Supporting the

troops on the

ground is the

primary role of

any US Marine

Corps asset, not

least the CH-53E.

Below: An ‘Echo’

participating

in WTI lifts an

armored vehicle

at an auxiliary

air eld near

MCAS Yuma.

USMC/Cpl

Harley Robinson

number of passengers carried during

the extreme cases can be increase from

the usual 30. Baxter explained, ‘We can

get a waiver for the number of pax we

can carry, so we can get 50 to 100 pax

in an aircraft at a time. In 2010, ‘53s’ did

Pakistan  ood relief, basically getting

people out of harm’s way. They were

loading about 80 or 90 people up in

the aircraft at a time just to get them

to safety.’

Into the digital age

In addition to training prospective

weapons and tactics instructors on how

to get the best out of their platform,

the WTI course teaches leadership and

instructional techniques, and how to

is ingrained into the weapons and tactics

instructor syllabus.

Marine CH-53s can extend the range

of other assets through air-delivered

ground refueling, in which a Super

Stallion carrying additional fuel tanks can

land and set up a FARP site for ground

vehicles or other aircraft such as AH/

UH-1s or MV-22 Ospreys.

Mercy lifting

Though lifting marines and their

equipment into combat is the CH-53’s

raison d’être, the type is often used for

less militaristic purposes. The heavy-lift

ability, long range, and high passenger

capacity make it a good platform for

humanitarian-focused operations.

Hurricane relief work in the Caribbean is

a good example of the type’s use in these

civilian life-saving missions. During the

wake of storm Maria in September 2017,

USMC CH-53s dropped concrete slabs to

help stop erosion that was threatening to

destroy the Guajataca dam in Puerto Rico.

The work, along with the actions of other

units and agencies, was successful and

considerable loss of life was prevented.

With non-combatant evacuation

operations, whether extricating embassy

personnel during periods of civil

strife or transporting civilians out of

danger during natural disasters, the big

helicopter is frequently used for the mass

movement of civilians. The maximum

US NAVY & MARINE CORPS AIR POWER YEARBOOK 2018

MAWTS-1 CH-53E^31

28-35 MAWTS-1 C.indd 31 31/05/2018 15:25